She and He and Videogames
by bubble-rouge08
Summary: ArchieOC. Archie shares his AV lab with the Swing shift tech Wendy Piper. But they haven't even talked... not once! Who said one can't communicate through videogames? Not to mention PostIt notes....
1. Archie and his Lab

She and He and Videogames 

© CATE

**ARCHIE**

Her grey department-issued Ford Focus pulls out of the parking spot, beeping as she went her way, as I drove mine in on the spot beside it. I would watch her drive away while I gather my stuff and punch in my time card. The same faces greet me as I settle into shift: Sara and Grissom, the early birds; Julie at the reception; Ecklie in his office (why do I even bother?); the new DNA girl from across my lab (note to self: learn her name one of these days); and Greg, guarding his fresh batch of Blue Hawaiian.

Speaking of 'my lab', once again it's as if I'm first A/V lab tech to use it for the day. All the earphones are lined up, the wires are organized, all the screens are dust-free and my batch of evidence to process is right beside the server computer. I start unpacking the tapes and CDs the investigators have for me when I notice the faint fragrance hanging in the air. "Tommy Girl," I say to myself as I take another whiff. It fits her well, preppy and always on the go. The scent dies away as Catherine Willows walks in and hands me another mangled piece of tape to process. "Back to work, Archie Johnson."

Being the A/V Technician here in the Las Vegas Crime Lab is a far cry from being a security cam 'baby-sitter' at Guggenheim's. I get to use top of the line equipment for free, process high profile cases, get to work with the most wonderful group of people in my shift and not to mention have the department take care of my transportation and communication expenses. Working graveyard might be a pain in the ass sometimes, but after five years in this gig, I'm not budging. Greg Sanders… now _CSI_ Greg Sanders, was once one of us… the _lab rats_, we call ourselves. But he's moved on and all of us are happy for him. From time to time, Warrick and Nick take me out to do field work with them. It's nice to see the moonlight once in a while; being cooped up in a dark lab for the most part of my nights can get tiring.

"Hey Archie, what do you have for me?" Sara Sidle saunters in with a smile. "The still you gave me helped us identify the vic. And Trace ended up as a false lead. So, I'm looking for more good news from you." She described this case she's working on as a 'TV case' because all their usable evidence is mostly on the security cam. Unfortunately for me, not all of Las Vegas has the luxury of high-end technology.

I hand her the earphones and say before the play the tape, "Well, good thing the building owner forked up extra for voice recorders. I've stitched the audio with the video footage and I got a pretty good cut of conversation between your victim and an unknown woman." I pressed play. For a three-star hotel, they have such crappy cameras. Very grainy and it skips frames when recording. The video stopped and Sara took off the earphones. "That's all the audio with the video. I'm trying to figure out the rest on this tape. The killer really wanted this trashed, burned it with acetone."

Her smile got bigger. "Would you burn me a copy of this? Grissom and Nick need to hear this."

"Done," I proudly said as I handed her a CD in an evidence bag. "If I find anything else, I'll page you."

Taking the bag from me, she said, "That's what I like about you, Archie: quick and organized. I'll wait for your page!" And she went to the adjacent room at DNA.

As I revert my attention to the video in front of me, another CSI enters my lab. "Johnson, right?" Randy Anders from swing shift said. "Is there anything that Piper left for me?" 'Piper' would be Wendy Piper, the A/V Tech of their shift. "Evidence bag, with a blue Post-It?"

I rummage through the mess on the right. I might be organized with the evidence I give _my_ CSI, but not so on my work area. Finally, I spot the blue paper behind the monitor. "Here you go, Mr. Anders," giving him the bag. It was an answering machine tape with a note saying, '_it's empty' _written in Wendy's neat script. Randy went his way, leaving me with my own evidence to process.

Wendy started working here a year after I came in. She started out in days then was transferred to swing shift right when Grissom and the others were split. Sure we would pass each other by the halls and have our parking spaces beside each other and share a lab… that was it. What I do know about her is that she likes to make notes on Post-Its and paste it around the monitor. I would see her throw them in the trash in the locker room as she heads out. We might work the same office but we never talked.

Sometimes I'd hear Nick, Warrick and Catherine talk about her and one of them would say, "I miss her Post-Its. Cell phone calls are getting too impersonal." One time Nick told me after I handed him my findings, "Hey, I asked you about forehead thingies and such? You have to meet Wendy Piper, the swing shift A/V."

I joked back, "What? She needs to get a life as well?" We laughed. All of us need to do less of something… like watching Discovery Channel.

All these working and thinking made me ignore time. It's already halfway through the shift and my just my second cup of coffee. This won't be a long day after all.


	2. Wendy and her Lab

WENDY 

That is one hell of a shift! I mean, how many people can shoot others senseless in a span of eight hours? Answer, at least four crack-heads and approximately nine cracked heads… and all of them come to Vegas.

Imagine, I just had my late lunch at Subway and here I am watching some psycho play GTA in the open air. Now my job is to identify the gunman. That simple right? Er… not really. This building might have a high-end surveillance system and a face recognition ID system. But the catch is, this guy is _not_ in their system. So I have to get a good angle to take a still of his face. And how can I do that if the guy's wearing eyewear like 'The Incredibles'? Boo!

"Wendy!" swing shift supervisor Dina Jefferson's voice rang through the halls. In less than a heartbeat, she's in my lab with her ear-to-ear smile. "Give me something dandy." This is her case. Normally, I would love her cheery demeanor but today… is not my day. I just had a fight with my mother, wanting me to quit my job and move with her and her new husband to Chicago. That, I didn't want to do.

"Good afternoon, Dina," I said sarcastically as she started disarranging my Post-It rainbow. I would document minute per minute so I won't shift back and forth. "Mister Incredible here drives in the lot in his blue Corolla at 6:15pm. Exactly eight minutes after, he pulls out his M4 and does a Carl Johnson on the streets below," I explain as the video of a madman shooting at the streets is playing.

"Carl Johnson?" Dina asks.

"Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas," I sigh. "Anyway, he has a free-for-all shootout for approximately 7 minutes, changing magazines twice at a minute's interval and finally he stops and heads back to his car. That's when you guys go after his ass." I tick-off the Post-Its that I've read and hand them to Dina, "Here. For your paperwork. I know how much you love browsing through them."

"And what about his face?" I shake my head. "Alright. That'll be all then? Page me if you find anything else. By the way, Randy asks about those voice tapes."

"I'll be on them as soon as I get a still of Mister Incredible." She laughed as she went to the break room to discuss things with Kim, the other swing shift CSI. Randy Anders… he's been a CSI for almost 15years and still, he's no Ecklie nor Grissom, the night shift supervisor. And oh, he suspects her wife is cheating on him. Now he attempts to use the lab to find that out.

I ran over the tapes and found them empty. I put my note on the evidence bag seal and stowed it beside the monitor for the night shift tech to see. Randy said he won't be in today but will drop by later at night.

Speaking of the night shift A/V tech… I've been here for roughly four years… and I haven't met the guy. But of course, I've heard about him. In the short 6 months I've worked with Nick and Warrick and Catherine, they've told enough stories to make me want to move in to nights. Though, they haven't said much about their A/V guy… just that he's a Trekkie and he goes shopping with his girlfriend. That made me smile. And his name is Archie Johnson.

I would see him go in the locker room, as I would exit. He would arrive when I would drive off. It's like our schedules fall in synch. A couple of times I would chance him joking around with Hodges or the early birds of the night shift, and hey…he's not bad. He's cute… but not one I would guess that goes out shopping with his girl. Anyway… _girlfriend_… he already has one, Wendy! Oh well, so much for office romance.

Here we go again, I start my car and here comes his Ford. I beep, acknowledging him, not really saying goodbye or something. I felt like I just had to and sped off to get much needed sleep.


	3. It's their Video Game

Thanks for commenting on this little piece. Thanks for reading it.

By the way, it's already late when I realized the new DNA girl's name is _also_ Wendy. But I'm not going to talk about her here anyway, so we can forget about her. 

I'm just a poor college student. I can't even 'afford' to have this beta-ed.

ARCHIE 

My day-off is usually on a Tuesday. The dayshift A/V covers for me and in turn, I cover for him. Usually, Greg and I would spend our day-off together, out in the arcade or in some swimming pool somewhere. Yet ever since he became CSI, he's on-call 24/7. So I pretty much spend my Tuesdays alone. Normally, my girlfriend would be happy if I spend the whole day with her… but now, she's with somebody else. We called it quits four months ago. She moved to Colorado with her parents and her childhood best friend.

Yes, I loved her. Karen and I lasted three years but we did grow apart. She worked in San Francisco and I'm here in Las Vegas and the distance made our relationship turn cold. And I do go shopping with her – to make up for lost time. Then one day, the weekly shopping trips and late night movies got a little routine for her and she stopped returning my calls, E-mail and showing up at our dates. Finally, we decided to let each other go since we don't know where the other is most of the time. It was a huge decision for both of us but we have our own lives to control.

So I decided to resurrect my forgotten PlayStation2 and play some long-ass games. Checking my game collection, I realize I've finished each one approximately twice since I bought them. Oh well, time to buy new ones. My niece told me about the female Final Fantasy game, some sequel to FFX. I know it's an old game but she told me it's good and easy. Anything to pass the time, I guess.

Now, who does Target have everything, from fluffy bathrobes to wheelchairs to tech gadgets and toilet paper? And here, 3rd floor, aisle 19 – PlayStation games. It's a long shelf of new and old games arranged alphabetically. Usually, Karen would wait downstairs until I finished picking out games. She's not really a tech person. And for all I care for the latest style of jeans.

I breeze through the shelves picking this up and reading that through. I took 'Silent Hill 4' and later on, 'Metal Gear Solid 3 Subsistence'. I was at the 'H' games when I saw a familiar face.

WENDY 

There is no way I'm letting them use my autographed GTA: SA game. I'd rather buy another one for them. After all, Randy managed to borrow his son's PS2 unit. Apparently, Mr. Incredible (whose real name is Don Kimmel) plays this game. He followed everything that the character on this game did when going into a gang war. The game's soundtrack was blasting from his car stereos even. I call that 'attention to detail'.

Being here at aisle 19 reminds me that I'm so far behind on the games. I used to be an avid gamer but since I started working here in Las Vegas, all the gaming that I do is with the evidence processing I use at the lab. I have to take time off the books; I'm working too hard. I have to check out the new titles; my poor PS2 is rooting under my bed.

Good thing Target still carries old titles. GTA: SA is easy to find, with three more units remaining. At least the department will reimburse me on this. I go in and out in less than fifteen minutes. When shopping, I'm like a guy. I only go in to a store when I know exactly what I am going to buy. Dina wanted me to clock in early with her so she can build her case with the game. Thank goodness, she let me use my save file of the game or else, we'll be playing for one whole week.

When I tell people that I play GTA, their next question is always, "And you're a real girl?" Duh! Girl as a girl could be! What's wrong with that? Bleah, tech and girls don't match, they think. Whatever…

That's why I can't snag Mr. Right. He's always too corporate or too preppy or too nerdy or just plain brainless. Even my dad (who's up in New York) says I'm quite the handful. Growing up in a broken home with two older sisters, one of us has to stand up for herself. I'm what you call 'boyish' when I was a kid. I played guy games and hung out with boys. Until I got my first broken heart. Daniel. Junior high basketball team captain, Prom king and voted 'Most Likely to Succeed' after being accepted at Princeton under sports scholarship. Stupid me, believing that he really liked me. What can I expect from a stud anyway?

I broke it off with him because he treats me like a trophy, "Hey, I'm hanging out with Miss Brains-with-a-huge-bank-account. Look at me!" I moved from my dad's in New York to take computer science and an MA in audio/visual analysis at UCLA. Two years after I earned my MA and taking odd jobs here and there, I was finally recommended for a job at the LVPD crime lab. I have to thank my thesis adviser for the recommendation.

But about a year in, I had the shock of my life. In one of the cases I was processing, that same thesis adviser came out as one of the killers in a pawnshop heist/shootout. He's the same man that taught me professionalism so I turned him over and now he's serving 35 to life.

I clock in that day, finding Randy and Dina already waiting for me to play the game. I put my memory card in the jack and we played. The two weren't half interested on the game itself, they were taking notes and referring to this and that in their case file. An hour later, Greg from night shift comes in.

"Whoa, GTA! Right on!" he said flopping next to me on the floor. "I never finished this 100. I usually cheat to get the Rhino tank for Vigilante missions."

"Really?" He nodded as he yawned. "You should sleep, Greg. You've already pulled a double."

"And miss the master in action? No way! It's my day-off anyway," he said resting his head on Randy's lap. "Archie and I used to slave away on this game and still, after a year or so of playing it, we still haven't tagged everything and we still have cars to export. Archie's a sucker for respect points." I smile in acknowledgement and continue on with my gang war with the Vagos. "You do know Archie, do you?"

"The night shift A/V tech?" I asked. "Sure, I… know his name, that's all. I think I should know more about the guy I share my lab with, really." Spacing out like that about someone I don't even know made me 'bust' my CJ self to the San Fiero Police. Greg yawned again. "Seriously Greg, we have a case to work on, believe it or not and come on, it's your day-off. Go find Archie and play this with him."

Dina leaned over to my ear, "How did you know it's his day-off too, huh?" You know that tone when your best friend taunts you for something? Dina's an expert at that.

Pausing the game, I faced her gaze and answered, "It's plastered on the locker room door, Dina. And for your information, I _read_." I could feel my ears heating up. In my attempt to change the subject, I slipped once more, "If you don't need me anymore, I don't mind having Archie here too, so someone can understand and appreciate what I'm doing."

"Oh do you want me to call him?" Greg said perking up after his second cup. "Poor guy, I used to scour arcades and bowling alleys with him." He pulled out his cell phone and before I could say something… "Hey Archie! Busy? Oh I see, yeah. No problem! See you." He clicked off the phone and continued, "He's busy with his own game. "Metal Gear Solid 4", something I don't have the patience to play."

Flying over Las Venturas on the game, I smiled. I don't have the patience to play that either. Dina and Randy had long left Greg and me in the break room. They had the evidence and reference they need to put the perp in jail. I'm just showing Greg the places where the tags and CJ's girlfriends are. When he finally went out and gone home, I switched off the PS2 and went over to Ecklie for my reimbursement. smile


	4. He sucks at stealth games

Again, thanks for the reviews and comments. If you're having trouble understanding the GTA element of my story, feel free to voice it out. I'd be more than happy to devote an extra chapter on it.

_Anyway, it's fine if I don't get a lot of reviews. The hit counter shows 223 and counting… so at least people read my little story._

_Thanks!_

_Once again, I'm a poor college sophomore._

ARCHIE 

Why do I suck so much on stealth games? The 10-year-old boy next door got my character Snake across the enemy plain faster than I did an hour ago. Dan, the kid, would even munch of chips on his lap while hiding above and under army trucks and crates. He would kick my ass anytime on stealth games.

"Archie, I have to head back," he said putting the controller down. "Mom's going to have my head if I'm late for lunch. Thanks for letting me play." And he's out the door before I even say anything.

I saved the game and cleaned up the crumbs off my small couch. One of my sisters gave me that automatic vacuum cleaner last Christmas, Roomba. Being the tech guy that I am, I modified it a bit and now the battery lasts longer than the ordinary units. I kicked it open and put the mugs in the sink. I didn't notice someone enter my apartment.

"Since when did you become domestic?" my co-worker and friend Greg Sanders said leaning on my dining table. "You left the door unlocked so I let myself in."

Filling two mugs with iced tea, I led him back to my living room and tossed him the controller. "Had some sleep yet?" He nodded. "Really? Or should I be asking how many cups did you drink?" Greg held out four fingers. I gave him my new games but his hand headed straight to GTA: San Andreas. "That again? I'm telling you man, I'm not willing to cheat to finish this game…"

"Shh…" he said putting the game on and loading our save file. "Did you know, that there is someone in the lab that is way better than you and me and your kid friend, Dan put together?" My eyes widen in disbelief.

"Come on, Greg – don't tell me Grissom and Ecklie have this game hidden in their drawers," I laughed. Being the youngest ones working in the LVPD crime lab, when everybody's pouring on crosswords during their free time, Greg and I would play video games with Nick and Warrick. He shook his head while finding another tag to paint. "Not Catherine." He snorted. "Sara!"

"Archie, my boy…" he said handing the controller to me. A taxi mission is my thing. "Wendy Piper. Ring a bell?"

"Dayshift A/V tech, the Post-It girl, right?" I asked. "What about her?"

Greg took a sip of his tea and answered. "Before I left the lab today, she and her shift were observing this game. The perp, I think used the game for reference – Wendy was playing. And you should see her play! She went from six wanted levels to one in about five minutes… inside a rhino tank!"

No way! "Rhino tank?" I almost screamed. "And she's… she's a girl." I have seen a handful of girls play GTA but just two or three have finished it – with the help of a brother or a male cousin. Greg kept on playing, using the jetpack to locate the graffiti places. "And she showed you those spots?"

"Happily," he answered as he handed the controller back and letting me fly the stunt plane. "She's a genius, man. One of these days, you have to have her here."

"In this dump? No way… this is _not_ a place to take a girl for a date," I said merely dodging a building.

"Dude, who said it'll be a date?" he chuckled. Oh yeah. _Nice going, Johnson._ "With all the games and peripherals you have here, not to mention the ones you modified, the look of the place would be the last on her list. And besides, I thought you're not ready for a new girl."

"Yeah, I'm not," I sighed, "yet."

He downed his glass and said back, "But when that time comes, Wendy's a good choice." My fist collided with his arm. "Kidding! You barely know anything about the girl; you just use the same laboratory and do the same job. It's like sharing your stuff with a stranger."

"Greg, my friend… you know how crazy our schedules can become. And we're not like you CSIs; your reach goes beyond shifts. We lab rats are isolated from all the chaos in the lab… not that you haven't felt that before." He smiled. Yeah, he somewhat felt that during doubles – there are times that you just want to be left alone. But my lab, the A/V lab, it's usually the quietest place in the lab. It's just the technician and the technology. "Plus, fraternization within the office is prohibited."

"You're right but…" he said with a mouthful of chips, "you're not from the same shift so you can go through the loop. I reckon if Nick and Sara are from different shifts, they might have taken the offer the alien guy at Intergalactic gave them in their Area51 case."

I didn't answer anymore. It's not that I'm thinking about possibilities; I'm serious about not being ready yet. Well, eventually I will be but it's too early to tell, to look for somebody new. Greg left after he had lunch (pizza with tons of pepperoni and no anchovies) and was about to do something else when my phone rang. I let the machine answer it.

Hey, it's Archie. I might not be home or I might be busy. Either way, leave your name and number. I'll get back to you ASAP. Thanks!

beep "Johnson, it's Ecklie. I need you to come in and cover for the swing shift A/V tech. Piper's on field work with Anders and Jefferson. She won't be back until after hours. I know it's your day-off. I'm sorry for the short notice but the extra pay is already written on your check. Call back if you're coming or not." beep

It's too early for swing shift to start. So I'll be working technically a double today. And when Ecklie says 'extra pay' – it's overtime plus. And by the looks of my apartment, I might be needing it. His words ring in my ears, "If you want to be noticed, take initiative."

Sure, I'm coming in.


	5. She Goes On The Field

Thanks for the reviews! I am so in need of a 42-hour day to finish all my fanfictions… which are all about CSI anyway.

_**Author's Note: Wendy here is NOT the same Wendy The DNA girl in CSI:LV.**_

**WENDY**

I'll be working on field! Yay me! Dina actually begged me to go with them. They had to make a 3D image of the crime scene since it's a high traffic area; they can't cordon it off for an extended amount of time. They were already at the area, prepping the place. Before I leave the lab, I stick a Post-It on the monitor (the day shift tech logged-off early). Whoever's covering for me, s/he's a darling!

On my way out of the crime lab, I bumped into… "Hey, I'm sorry," Archie said helping me pick up the files I was carrying. "I wasn't looking." Then he smiled at me.

My goodness, his smile was enough to stop me dead in my tracks. It was hard not to look. But I had to say something or else I'd look stupid. "It's okay. I … uh, wasn't looking either. I was on my way to a crime scene." I looked up and smiled back.

"Oh, so you're CSI now?" he joked, picking up my pen on the floor.

"Just for the day, I am." Then silence overcame us. "Well, Archie… I'll be going now. Thanks."

I was walking away when, "Hey Wendy," he said, "… no problem." Then he gave me another one of those smiles.

I stayed rooted on the spot until the receptionist Julie said to me, "I thought you guys didn't know each other."

"We don't… not much anyway," I answered.

"I think he likes you," she giggled. Chuckled and bid her goodbye; I'm late as it is. I arrive at the scene 30 minutes that expected. Dina was pacing back and forth… not a good thing.

"I'm sorry I'm late, I got held up in the lab," I apologized, lugging my laptop and other gear.

"By Archie, I know," she smirked. Randy had a mischievous smile on his face. "Never trust Julie with private matters."

I sighed. Another successful water fountain gossip courtesy of Julie. "That was nothing, guys. We bumped into each other on my way out. He helped me pick up my stuff. Come on, you act as if you haven't experienced that in high school."

"I haven't," my supervisor laughed. "Well, at least the guy that helped my with my things didn't give me the light of day after brushing the dust off his jacket." Oh she won't let this die. "Anyway, we still have four hours to process this place."

"Alright, Wendy, we need you to make a 3D model of this parking lot and the street below, input the trajectory of the bullets as well as the possible points of origin," Randy explained. "After that, we go back to the lab and haul this guy's ass in jail."

Okay then. This is better than having co-lab techs hounding you. Then again, Dina can be worse than the whole lab put together.


	6. Who Covers for Her?

**ARCHIE**

I head straight to Ecklie's office after bumping into Wendy. He gave me the other cases of the swing shift and I went straight to my lab. As usual, it was clean and in order… with a sole pink Post-It on the monitor. It read:

_To the guy… or girl that'll cover for me,_

_Thanks! I owe you one, who ever you are. Maybe I can treat you to coffee if we both have time. _

_Thanks again and have fun with whatever Ecklie leaves you with._

_W_

So she doesn't know that I'm covering for her. It's sweet for her to leave a note. I folded the note and put it in my pocket. I could see that she left some pads for me to write on. It gave me an idea.

On my first break, I took a bright blue Post-It and replied to her message. I could easily ask Julie for her phone number but Julie has the reputation of blurting out what's in her mind before she thought about it. I bet when she saw Wendy and I earlier – that little conversation we had may have circulated as me trying to hook-up with her. Oh yes, I could hear Greg now… pretending to be willing to wait for results, hanging out in my lab, trying to squeeze every bit of detail.

Anyway, I went to the locker rooms and pasted _my_ note on her locker door. It's very easy to spot hers: with a bright pink ribbon and a huge faux sunflower on the handle. I heard Catherine say it's for decoration… "The room is too dank and masculine," she said.

I continued with my work; it's a good thing that majority of the material that I was working on were from dashboard cameras of the squad cars. Swing shift ends, and I clock in for _my_ formal shift. Wendy and the others still haven't come back. As usual, Grissom is in his office, reading some thick textbook. And for the first time, Nick was early. He's making coffee… with Sara's arms around his waist! Hmm… so they think nobody's looking, eh?

"…No way, Sidle! I didn't push it under the…" I caught the end of their conversation. They were laughing and tickling each other, and I'm completely unseen.

"_Ahem!_" I say, and they sprung apart like the other was on fire (or maybe s/he is). They couldn't look at me straight in the eye. "Nick, you're early today… can I have some coffee?"

"Uh…yeah," he stammered. "Car broke down. Got Sara here to pick me up," he said handing me a cup. He was blushing too hard that he couldn't even speak in full sentences. Sara was chewing on her bottom lip and both her ears were pink.

"Archie," she said. "Could we…"

"Keep this a secret?" I said sipping the hot liquid. "Sure, no problem. It's a good thing that I'm not Julie."

"Or Greg," Nick continued and we laughed.

Then the swing shift came in. I handed my findings over to CSI Anders as Grissom started to hand out assignments. I come back to the A/V lab just in time to see Wendy tidying up her Post-Its in a neat line (I messed them up earlier in an attempt to amuse myself whilst waiting for results). She looked up and smiled. "Hey, Archie."

"Hi," I said back. "So… how was the field?"

She flicked her hair from her eyes and sighed, "It was okay. It's been a while since I worked outside this lab."

"Yeah? Me too. But I guess, I won't be leaving this lab any time soon."

"You and me both," she said. "But right now, I have to go home. See you around!" As she began to walk out, she turned back and asked me, "By the way, if you happen to know who covered for me, kindly inform me, okay? Thanks."

Oh yes, I will definitely.

* * *

**I hope you're not yet dead, people.**

**Please review, if it's not much of a bother. Thank you!**


	7. So it's a Guy then!

**WENDY**

What's with this day? Pre-shift, I bump into Archie. Post-shift, I bump into him again. Is there something in the air today? Maybe the Las Vegas heat is getting to me. Anyway, I went to the locker room to get my stuff and my extra GTA DVD game when I saw a blue note on my door. It was handwritten though I don't recognize the script:

_No problem._

_I won't mind doing it again, though._

_the someone that covered for you_

_PS: I'm a guy._

Oh so, it's a guy that covered for me. That narrows it down to… 60 of all the lab employees. That could be anyone from here. It would be helpful if at least _he_ included his shift schedule. Anyway, the lab's not that big – I'm bound to bump into him one of these days.

I was on my way out when I someone pull me into an office… Catherine's office. "Is it true?" she asked in a hush-hush voice. The glass walls are not soundproof, except for the A/V lab. "Archie asked you out? What did you say?" See what I mean… "Julie told Sara and Sara told Nick and Nick to Warrick who told me."

"Hey, you're beginning to sound like your daughter… or worse," I said shaking her out of it. "Archie didn't ask me out, I didn't say anything, and it was just an innocent conversation. Come on, you among other people say that I should be talking to the guy I share my lab with."

She sighed a disappointed sigh. "Oh, I see. Yeah, that's… that's good. I should've thought twice about anything that came from our trusty receptionist."

"You seem upset," I whispered with a cocked eyebrow.

"Oh it's nothing," she smiled. "Well, it's looks like you're on your way out." I nodded. "See you around then."

Weird.

Anyway, on my way home, I kept on thumbing the blue Post-It in my pocket. Who could that guy be? Day and night shift A/V techs have a lot on their hands as it is. And of course, there are time that the CSI themselves do the video processing. Sometimes, they make visiting colleagues work on low profile cases. Ah… think Piper, think! Hm… I guess an early dinner would help. After all, Archie did promise (sort of) that he'd tell me who covered for me today. (Don't count on it, girl.)


	8. To the Guy That Covered for Me

**ARCHIE**

As light as the swing shift was, that is how tasking the night shift is. Everything was a blur after Wendy left. I had so much in my hands that I left all her notes stuck on the monitor and the piles of crumpled case notes beside the evidence boxes. I wonder how it is working with her. Cesar from days have worked with her in a case once. Catherine, Nick and Warrick were in swing shift for some time. Sara even knows how she does her work.

She actually knew Greg even before she entered LVPD. They met in a coffee shop. She was new to Las Vegas at that time and he just got off shift, in need of a refill of his Blue Hawaiian beans. She was nursing jetlag with a cup of espresso when he spotted her and gave her a crash course on coffee cuisine. He was planning to ask her out until he asked her where she works.

It's funny that we work the same A/V lab, have parking spaces next to each other and occasionally pass by each other … and we don't really know each other. I know the swing shift Trace guy Travis more than her. My longest conversation with her was the one we just had before she headed out. I've seen her around when I happen to be early or bored. But she's always busy with what she's doing.

The next day, she was back in the A/V lab for swing shift. And it's back to graveyard for me. But ever since our 'long' conversation, I made it a point to go to work a bit early to catch her and probably have a 'longer' conversation.

**WENDY**

Whew! Field work might be a lot of fun but nothing beats being in the lab… away from the heat, humidity, pollution and the stresses of actually seeing the crime first-hand. People can be hard to read sometimes. As the day progresses, the crime rate goes up. It seems as though people (in Vegas at least) tend to do bad things as the sun goes down. Last month, we had more cases filed than the day shift. The night shift is always on their toes since Vegas is most awake at night.

I could only imagine what Archie's workload is like. There are countless hotels, motels, casinos and inns in the area and almost all of them have surveillance of some sort. Video and/or audio surveillance is the first evidence to be collected in a crime scene usually. And of course, in a course of eight to ten hours, more than three crimes can happen – you can bet that one or two of them are caught on tape.

All of those made me decide that it wasn't Archie who covered for me. He already has his hands full as it is. Swing shift load would've made his burden heavier. Bummer! It would be nice to have a cup of coffee with Archie. Or dinner…erm, breakfast.

It's been two weeks since that somebody covered for me yet no word about him. I haven't talked to Archie that long to fish the information out of him. But he seems to be around more and more lately. He would be leaning against the A/V lab doorframe as I'm cleaning up my Post-It mess. Or he'll be ready with a mug of Greg's mix of Blue Hawaiian for me as I'm ready to head out. "Something for the ride home," he would say.

So today, I decided to post a 'broadcast', looking for that somebody. On a bright neon green square of paper on one side of the monitor:

_To the guy that covered for me,_

_I can't seem to find you and it's ironic that in a lab full of detectives and investigators, no one's spilling the beans. So just call me up and maybe we can finally have that coffee I promised you._

_555-8621 – call ASAP. Thanks!_

_W_

Like clockwork, Archie was leaning against the doorframe yet again, waiting for me to exit the A/V lab. Lab coat or no lab coat, he looks good enough to eat. But the word _girlfriend_ kept ringing in my ears. "Hey there!" I said. "Could you keep that note stuck there for the mean time? If you have to remove it, just make sure you stick it back on after your shift."

"Oh sure," he smiled. "What's this – an ad looking for a boyfriend or something?"

"Very funny, Johnson," I laughed with him. "You wish. Anyway, I'll be on my way then. I give this kingdom back to you. Bye."


End file.
